Oral Health

OVERVIEW

Heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis are only some of the chronic conditions that have been linked to oral health. We encourage all PAs to incorporate oral health screenings and preventive oral healthcare into routine medical care. As patients are generally more likely to visit a medical provider than a dentist, PAs can be critical in making early oral diagnoses that can have more serious implications if not promptly addressed and connecting patients to dentists. By integrating oral health into PA practice, PAs can positively impact America’s oral health crisis by increasing access to care, minimizing the burden of oral disease, and reducing associated disparities.

Get Involved

Oral Health Crisis

We advocate putting the mouth back in the body.

In 2000, the US Surgeon General called oral disease the “silent epidemic” in America and noted the “mouth is a mirror for the body,” but significant work remains to foster an engaged and equipped workforce to meet these needs.

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Americans spent more than $124 billion on dental services in 2016.

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Approximately 68% of people aged 2 years and older had a dental visit in the past 12 months.

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59% of adolescents have had tooth decay.

Know the Facts

Dental caries is the most common chronic disease of childhood.

Nearly 19% of adults age 65 and over have complete tooth loss.

Oral cancer kills approximately 1 person every hour.

Oral and pharyngeal cancers are often diagnosed too late; only about half of patients diagnosed with oral cancer will be alive in five years.

Healthy People 2020 identifies that it's leading health indicator related to oral health is "getting worse" since measurement began in 2007.

Employed adults lose 164 million hours of work each year due to their own oral health problems or dental visits–twice the amount of time required to assemble the three million new cars produced by the U.S. each year.

Only half of employers offering medical benefits provide or contribute to a dental insurance benefit. This coverage gap leaves approximately 108 million people in the U.S. (nearly 40% of the population) without dental insurance—more than two-and-a-half times the number of Americans who lack medical insurance.

Why PAs and Oral Health

PAs provide care at both the front-end and back-end of the disease process for all ages, genders, and diseases.

PAs work as part of the interprofessional team in collaboration with physicians and other providers.

PA practice is often focused on prevention. Oral health is the “low hanging fruit” of prevention. Causes are known and interventions work.

Oral health fits within the scope of PA practice, which can include:

Screening for oral health

Conducting risk assessments

Applying fluoride varnish

Providing anticipatory guidance and behavior change counseling

Educating patients to promote patient activation and self-advocacy

Our work is part of the PA Leadership Initiative in Oral Health, a profession-wide movement striving to integrate oral health into PA education and practice. This work has been supported by the National Interprofessional Initiative in Oral Health (NIIOH) and its funders the DentaQuest Foundation and Arcora Foundation.

The nccPA Health Foundation is committed to promoting the role of PAs as oral health champions.

PSA: We are now on Instagram! Follow us @nccPAHealthFdn for some added positivity to your feed! It’s Children’s Dental Health Month! Teaching healthy oral hygiene at a young age sets up a future of bright smiles. Learn how you can provide oral health education in your community. February is American Heart Month. Death rates from heart disease are rising in those ages 35-64. Know the signs and symptoms of cardiac arrest and stroke.